U.S. patent application number 13/302621 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-31 for orthodontic bracket with auxiliary slot.
This patent application is currently assigned to American Orthodontics, Inc., a Wisconsin Corporation. Invention is credited to Jaume Mesalles, Lee Tuneberg.
Application Number | 20120135364 13/302621 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46126905 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120135364 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tuneberg; Lee ; et
al. |
May 31, 2012 |
ORTHODONTIC BRACKET WITH AUXILIARY SLOT
Abstract
An orthodontic bracket includes a slot for attaching auxiliary
attachments. The slot is formed into the pad of the bracket rather
than being included in the bracket body. By forming the slot into
the pad of the bracket rather than incorporating it into the
bracket body, the slot may have a vertical orientation and may be
centered on the bracket.
Inventors: |
Tuneberg; Lee; (Sheboygan,
WI) ; Mesalles; Jaume; (Kohler, WI) |
Assignee: |
American Orthodontics, Inc., a
Wisconsin Corporation
Sheboygan
WI
|
Family ID: |
46126905 |
Appl. No.: |
13/302621 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61416140 |
Nov 22, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
433/9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61C 7/287 20130101;
A61C 7/143 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
433/9 |
International
Class: |
A61C 7/30 20060101
A61C007/30; A61C 7/28 20060101 A61C007/28 |
Claims
1. An orthodontic bracket comprising: a pad contoured to engage a
tooth surface, the pad including a mesial edge and a distal edge; a
bracket body extending from the pad away from the tooth surface,
the bracket body including an archwire slot; the bracket body
further adapted to accept a closure mechanism adapted to entrap an
archwire within the archwire slot; an auxiliary slot formed into
the pad, the auxiliary slot configured to accept auxiliary
attachments.
2. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary slot is
generally parallel to the mesial and distal edges of the pad.
3. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary slot is
non-parallel to the mesial and distal edges of the pad.
4. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary slot
has a rectangular cross-section.
5. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary slot
has a non-rectangular cross-section.
6. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the closure mechanism
is a spring clip.
7. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the closure mechanism
is an elastomeric ligature.
8. The orthodontic bracket of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary slot is
generally perpendicular to the archwire slot.
9. A self-ligating orthodontic bracket comprising: a pad adapted to
engage a tooth surface; a bracket body extending from the pad away
from the tooth surface, the bracket body including an archwire
slot; a closure mechanism adapted to entrap an archwire within the
archwire slot; an auxiliary slot formed into the pad, the auxiliary
slot configured to accept auxiliary attachments.
10. The orthodontic bracket of claim 9 wherein the pad includes at
least a mesial edge and a distal edge, and wherein the auxiliary
slot is generally parallel to the mesial and distal edges of the
pad.
11. The orthodontic bracket of claim 9 wherein the pad includes at
least a mesial edge and a distal edge, and wherein the auxiliary
slot is non-parallel to the mesial and distal edges of the pad.
12. The orthodontic bracket of claim 9 wherein the auxiliary slot
has a rectangular cross-section.
13. The orthodontic bracket of claim 9 wherein the auxiliary slot
has two side walls that are substantially parallel to each
other.
14. The orthodontic bracket of claim 9 wherein the auxiliary slot
has a non-rectangular cross-section.
15. The orthodontic bracket of claim 9 wherein the closure
mechanism is a spring clip.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/416,140 filed on Nov. 22,
2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for
all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
brackets for use in orthodontia. More particularly, the present
invention relates to orthodontic brackets having an auxiliary slot
for the attachment of auxiliary devices.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In the field of orthodontics, there is a need to apply a
variety of different forces to teeth in a multitude of ways. One
component that orthodontists use to provide such forces are
brackets (or braces) in conjunction with an arch wire. Brackets may
be made of various metal alloys, ceramics, or other materials, and
are commonly manufactured in multiple parts. Specifically, a
bracket body and a pad are bonded together to create a bracket. The
pad provides a surface configured for attaching to the tooth, and
the bracket body provides a pathway for the arch wire to pass
through. The pad and bracket body are bonded together in the
manufacturing process, usually by welding or brazing, but other
bonding techniques may be used as well. One bracket is attached to
each tooth using adhesive material. The arch wire is generally a
thin metal wire that runs from bracket to bracket and applies
pressure to the teeth, over time causing them to change position
and/or orientation.
[0004] Orthodontic brackets are typically machined, molded, or
cast, requiring precision tooling that is expensive to produce and
difficult to modify once created. As a result, it is often not
possible or prohibitively expensive to add provisions for an
auxiliary slot to an existing bracket mold. Adding such an
auxiliary slot would require completely new tooling, at great
expense to the manufacturer.
[0005] Orthodontic brackets typically fall into one of two
categories: conventional and self-ligating. Conventional brackets
utilize elastomeric ligatures to secure an archwire to the
brackets. Self-ligating brackets utilize permanently installed
clips or other mechanical closures to entrap the archwire in the
brackets.
[0006] During the course of treatment, it is sometimes necessary to
exert force on teeth in a direction other than the direction of the
arch wire. When this is the case, an auxiliary device may be
attached to one or more brackets, allowing the orthodontist
additional control over how force is exerted on the teeth.
[0007] Such auxiliary devices are typically attached to the
brackets through the use of a slot incorporated into the bracket.
Incorporating the auxiliary slot into each bracket presents a
number or shortcomings. Ideally, auxiliary slots would be in a
vertical orientation relative to a horizontal archwire, but because
of the configuration of both conventional and self-ligating
orthodontic brackets, auxiliary slots often must be in a horizontal
configuration because there is not enough material in the vertical
direction to support a vertically oriented slot. Additionally, such
a vertical slot would ideally be located equidistant from the
mesial and distal edges of the bracket to facilitate efficient
force application to the tooth. In certain traditional brackets
there is space to include a vertical slot in the ideal location,
but in self-ligating brackets, the enclosure mechanism occupies
that space. Thus, in existing self-ligating brackets that include a
vertical slot, the slot is offset to one side of the bracket body
where there is adequate material to create a slot and the slot does
not interfere with the closure mechanism.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present invention relates to an orthodontic bracket with
an auxiliary slot. The bracket includes a pad that is contoured to
engage a tooth surface. The bracket further includes a body that
extends from the pad including an archwire slot. The body may
include a closure mechanism to entrap an archwire in the archwire
slot. Alternatively, the body may include tie-wings that allow an
orthodontist to apply elastomeric ligatures to entrap an archwire
in the archwire slot. An auxiliary slot is formed into the pad and
is configured to accept auxiliary attachments.
[0009] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one
or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives,
while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other
objectives. Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions
of the disclosed embodiment, and will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages
will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the
accompanying figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn
therefrom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an
orthodontic bracket in accordance with the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the orthodontic
bracket of FIG. 1 showing the self-ligating clip removed from the
bracket.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top view of the orthodontic bracket of FIG.
1.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the orthodontic bracket of FIG.
1.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a side view of the orthodontic bracket of FIG.
1.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a front view of the orthodontic bracket of FIG.
1.
[0016] FIGS. 7A-D are front views of pads constructed in accordance
with alternative embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1-6, one embodiment of an orthodontic
bracket 100 in accordance with the invention is shown. The bracket
100 is made by bonding a pad 110 to a bracket body 120. The bonding
may be accomplished by welding, brazing, or other suitable method.
The pad includes a mesial edge 112 and distal edge 114. In the
embodiment shown, the mesial edge 112 and the distal edge 114 are
parallel to each other, but the invention contemplates pad edges
that are not parallel to each other. Depending on the tooth to
which the bracket 100 is to be bonded, the shape of the pad 110 may
differ in order to better match the surface profile of the tooth to
which the bracket is bonded. Further, the bottom of the pad 116 is
contoured to engage the tooth surface. The bottom of the pad 116
may also include a mesh and/or photo etching (not shown) to
increase surface area, thereby ensuring a secure bond between the
bracket and the tooth.
[0018] In the embodiment shown, the bracket further includes a clip
130 that can be shifted between an open position and a closed
position; when in the closed position, the clip covers an archwire
slot 140 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. When the bracket 100 is in use,
an archwire (not shown) passes through the archwire slot 140 and is
entrapped by the clip 130. In an alternative embodiment, the
archwire may be entrapped by an elastomeric ligature (not shown).
An auxiliary slot 150 is formed into the pad 110. The slot shown in
the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 is generally at least rectangular in
cross-section, but may be other shapes as well. In the embodiment
shown, the auxiliary slot 150 is generally parallel to the mesial
and distal edges 112, 114. Further, the side walls of the auxiliary
slot 150 are generally parallel to each other. By moving the
auxiliary slot 150 from its typical position in the bracket body
120 to the pad 140, the slot may be formed in an orientation and
location that would be otherwise impossible. Such variations may be
achieved without departing from the invention. For example, the
slot may be offset to either the mesial or distal side of the
bracket in order to provide a non-centralized force on the tooth.
The slot may also be oriented non-parallel to the mesial/distal
edges of the pad.
[0019] Referring now to FIG. 7A-D, alternative embodiments of the
pad 110 are shown. The auxiliary slot 150 may have a number of
different cross-sectional profiles. As shown, those profiles may
include a rectangular slot 152 with side walls higher than the
width of the slot, as shown in FIG. 7A, or a T-slot 154 as shown in
FIG. 7B, or the top edges of the slot may be chamfered 156 as shown
in FIG. 7C, or the top edges of the slot may include a radius 158,
as shown in FIG. 7D. The auxiliary slot 150 may be made with other
profiles not shown without departing from the invention.
[0020] Although the invention has been herein described in what is
perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is
to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited
to the specific embodiments set forth above. Rather, it is
recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the
art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of
the invention and, therefore, the invention is to be taken as
including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the
appended claims and the description of the invention herein.
* * * * *